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Tennis Court Oath
Members of France's third estate (representing the common populace) met in a tennis court after their usual meeting spot was closed. They pledged to give France a constitution. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Paris Bastille (a fortified prison) was stormed by an angry mob looking for ammunition. They found it. They also found guards, which they brutally and violently murdered. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was drafted based on Enlightenment ideas and philosophies by the National Constituent Assembly. It greatly weakened the King's power while strengthening that of the common man. -
Women's March on Versailles
A group of angry women gathered in protest of the food shortages and went to Versailles. They murdered numerous guards and demanded that the royal family go to live in Paris among the people. -
Royal Family Flees
Fearing for his family's safety, the King fled Paris with his family. He hoped to make it to his in-laws in Austria, but he was recognized and arrested before he got that far. This caused the French commoners to regard the royals as traitors. -
Invention of the Guillotine
A physician invented the Guillotine with the intention of making a safer method of beheading, which appeared to be the French's favored way to murder people. The Guillotine was nicknamed the "National Razor" as it would be used by the French government to execute a lot of people. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
Because it was considered necessary by the majority of the Constituent Assembly, the King was tried and found guilty of treason. He was executed via Guillotine. -
Murder of Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, who believed that he needed to die for France to have peace and went unapologetically to her execution. His death would only inspire more violence and outrage as he became a symbol of the Revolution. -
Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of Terror was a period marked by mass execution of "enemies of the Revolution" by the National Assembly. Around 40,000 people were killed by the government during this time, more often than not without a true trial. -
Execution of Robespierre
The end of the Reign of Terror was marked by the execution of "the Incorruptible" Maximilien Robespierre. Presumably, this was done because other members of the government feared they would be executed next.